Bossy Little Chit
by Ludo13
Summary: "Diggory, you're the Head-boy right? You agree that your main job is to look after the welfare of the students and you'd do anything to ensure that, wouldn't you?" "Of course, Granger! I'd do everything to ensure that. Look here, Granger! I still don't understand..." "I...," she hesitated before again putting on a determined face, "I need you to go out with me!" "I... erm... WHAT?"
1. Bossy Little Chit

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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**Chapter note:**

So, here's the first chapter of Bossy Little Chit as promised.

Happy New Year everyone. I wish all the best for you in 2015.

Love and take care,

**Ludo13**

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**Bossy Little Chit**

Many would say that Cedric Diggory was a charismastic, hard working lad, honest, and true to his house; Hufflepuff. The girls would probably say that he was one of the best looking guys in school, if not the best. He had wonderful parents and was loved by his peers. Truth be told, Cedric was simply a model-student.

After he was chosen as a prefect in his fifth year, he had the privilege to be designated as the Head-boy in his final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But, Cedric was most notably known as being the lucky co-winner of the Triwizard Tournament held during his sixth year.

Yeah, Cedric Diggory considered himself to be a very lucky wizard. How could it have been otherwise when he was one of the lucky few to survive an encounter with Lord Voldemot himself?

However, it would be quite true to say that Cedric's luck was nothing compared to Harry Potter. The young wizard with the crazy dark hair and a lightning-bolt scar on the forehead had the worst case of bad luck Cedric ha evr witnessed. Luckily, for Cedric, Potter was also a very lucky wizard when the latter found himself in dangerous situations and that happened unforunately often with Potter.

He owed it to Potter for bailing him out of the cemetery. Cedric's steady streak of luck apparently ran out first in the maze when Krum attacked him with the Cruciatus curse. Granted, the Bulgarian Seeker was held under an Imperius from the Profssor Moody impersonator. But still, Potter saved the day by incapacitating Krum and stopping Cedric from cursing the Bulgarian.

The second time was when Cedric had agreed to share the win with Potter. Who would have thought that the tournament could have been used as a means for Voldemort to off Potter? People closest to Potter like Fred and George's youngest brother or Hermione Granger would probably say that there was a yearly plot to off Potter. Cedric wasn't that familiar with Potter to have anticipated such a thing.

But, it happened. Voldemort was planning to kill Potter and simply ordered Cedric's murder just because the latter was a surprise witness to his resurrection.

So, there Cedric stood paralysed and transfixed by the green light rushing towards him. And, he slipped. He was lucky to have survived an encounter with Voldemort because he'd simply slipped on a slug due to a micro-movement of his body made subconsciously. It was nothing glorious but Cedric wasn't going to complain. He was alive and that was all that mattered. Anyway, Cedric had again been lucky.

Cedric was talking with his friends about their latest Transfigurations class with Professor McGonagall in one of the inner courtyards of Hogwarts. At least, that was a challenging class unlike the Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Umbridge. The ministry official had, in the short time she'd been 'teaching' at Hogwarts, quickly become a nuisance to the students and other teachers; the real ones.

A full month after the start of the school year and they were still reading the boring textbook by heart. Umbridge had a droning voice, a faux-sweet dulcet voice that annoyed all students and teachers alike. Even the Slytherins, though none would admit to it, were already fed up with her.

Cedric was wondering what he was gonna do if he failed his Defence Against the Dark Arts practicals for his NEWTS when he thought someone was calling him. He turned around and sure enough there was Hermione Granger walking confidently in his direction. He frowned thinking it was a mistake and turned back to his friends.

"Diggory! We need to talk!" Granger exclaimed loudly, clearing any lingering doubts Cedric could have.

His friends guffawed hearing when they heard the loud call.

"Careful there, Cedric. Major heartbreak coming up," teased Scott Summerby, his best friend.

"Yeah, Granger's quite the bossy little chit, ain't she? Guess we know who's wearing the trousers." chuckled Craig Dunn, another fellow Hufflepuff.

Granger in the meantime had reached their group and Luke Cholderton had turned to her before saying, "You should do it quickly like a band-aid, Granger. He doesn't need to suffer long."

Chortles and guffaws followed while Granger only stared at them with a raised eyebrow. When Cedric caught her eye, she said, "I really need to talk to you, Diggory. Can we go somewhere private?"

He acquiesced while his friends continued laughing at his expense. Cedric followed Granger and spun around flashing the finger at his friends.

"So rude, Cedric!" Scott mock-exclaimed. "It's no wonder that Granger's gonna dump you."

Cedric smiled good-naturedly back at his friends before following Granger who was waiting for him in front of one classroom. She opened the door, checked inside confirming tha it was empty before ushering Cedric inside.

"Sorry about that, Granger," Cedric immediately started to apologize. "My friends didn't mean anything by it. They just seize every little opportunity to take the mickey."

Granger waved her han dismissively. "Doesn't matter," she said.

"So, why do you want to talk to me, Granger? If it's about the patrolling schedule, I'm sorry. No change..." Cedric started saying.

"That's not it," interrupted Granger. "Diggory, you're the Head boy right?" she asked instead.

"Yeah, I am. You should know Granger since you're a prefect and all," replied Cedric, confused.

"So, you agree that your main job is to look after the welfare of the students, isn't it? To make sure that the students are feeling alright? That they are not hurt whether it was emotionally or physically?" Granger questioned.

"Yeah, it is the principal part of it but is there..." Cedric began before being interrupted again.

"You'd do anything to ensure that, wouldn't you?" Granger asked.

"Of course, Granger! I'd do everything to ensure that. Even for Slytherins. But, I..." he answered and again he was interrupted before he was able to ask what Granger really wanted. He was more than puzzled by Granger's line of questioning.

"Anything?" she asked for confirmation.

"Of course, I'd do. I take my responsibilities seriously. Look here, Granger! I still don't understand..."

Unsurprisingly, for Cedric, he was again interrupted and he near-growled from frustration. He was confused however when Granger's determined face morphed to a smiling one.

"I...," she hesitated before again putting on a determined face, "I need you to go out with me!"

"I... erm... WHAT?" he shouted.

Okay, that was definitely unexpected.

"I need you to go out with me," Granger repeated.

"I heard you the first time, Granger," Cedric said. "But, what on Earth is that big brain of yours thinking?"

Granger glared back. "I have a good reasoning behind asking that from you, Diggory," conceded the Gryffindor.

"Then, do you care to tell me what are these?" asked Cedric.

"It's rather complicated and I'd rather you not interrupt me," said Granger, again in a bossy voice. At Cedric's nod, she explained, "It's because of Ron. I ..."

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One hour later, Scott Summerby found Cedric sitting on one of the stone benches in one alcove of the now abandoned courtyard. When Cedric didn't take notice of Scott when he sat next to him, the latter pinched him on the leg. Cedric jumped in surprise.

"So, did Granger dump you?" joked Scott.

"Nope," replied Cedric. "Actually, we're now officially an item."

"I... erm... WHAT?" Scott shouted.

Cedric burst out laughing remembering that he had the same reaction earlier.

"You're joking right?" queried Scott, a smile on his face.

"I'm not. We're now officially an item," he repeated. "We're going out on a date on Hogmeade weekend this Saturday."

"How the bloody hell did that happen?" Scott asked. "Is Granger blackmailing you for something?"

"Nothing of the sort, Scott. Listen, the reasoning behind this is rather sound but it's secret. I'm gonna share that with you because you're my best mate and ..."

"I'll keep my tongue," Scott immdiately promised.

"Actually, it's because of Ron Weasley and Cho. Granger says that ..." Cedric started explaining.

Some minutes later, Scott whistled. "Are you sure about this? It's a sure recipe to endless headaches or worse. You do know that, don't you?" he asked.

"Not sure it is but it's still a better alternative than the other thing," Cedric whispered, as Cassius Warrington walked by, sneering at the duo of Hufflepuffs.

"Okay," uttered Scott. "What about the other thing?"

"She says that it's time to do something about the Umbridge situation and that's why she's organizing a meeting at the Hog's Head on Saturday," shared Cedric.

"Bloody Merlin! Maybe, she's planning Ms Toad's murder and needs a brainstorming session so we can give ideas on the best course of action?" suggested Scott, a smile on his face at the idea.

"I don't think so. She just said that it was important for those who want to do something about it to be present," Cedic said.

"Anyway," began Scott, grinning, "we can conclude dear Cedric that Granger is a bossy little witch."

"You mean that she's a bossy little chit," corrected Cedric, grinning in turn.

"Exactly!" agreed Scott. Smirking, he added, "and now, Granger's your bossy little girlfriend. Cheers!"

"You're an arse, Scott!"


	2. A Little Second-Guessing Bout

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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**A Little Second-Guessing Bout**

To be fair, Hermione didn't believe that Cedric Diggory would have even contemplated her proposal or even asked for some thinking-over time. She had been prepared for a full rebuttal or a laugh-it-off by the Hufflepuff Head-boy. The Hufflepuff had actually surprised her by hearing her out with little interruption on his part. It was only after Hermione had explained why she wanted Diggory to go out with her that the latter voiced out his opinion on the matter.

"Granger—" he started "—you do realise that what you're asking is rather drastic and that you have simpler alternatives for what you want me to be; a boyfriend?"

"I do know that, Diggory," she'd replied, in a snappish manner. "Trust me, I've contemplated all the possible alternatives to what I'm asking and you were the one that was mostly likely to make the point hit home."

"But, couldn't you just talk to him? He's one of your best friends if I'm correct so he's bound to be at very least a reasonable lad? Don't you think that?" Diggory had asked, rather candidly.

Hermione who had been sitting on a desk near the window jumped off the desk and began slowly began pacing.

"Unfortunately, it's never that easy," snorted Hermione. "Ronald Weasley can be the most unreasonable person on this planet if he deems it worthy and I'd rather have my mind concentrated on my studies instead of fending off his deplorable flirting skills."

"Still, it's rather drastic measure you're taking and, anyway, what's in it for me?" asked Diggory. He was reclining on a chair as he followed her pacing around the classroom.

"That's very…" started Hermione, before she was interrupted by Diggory.

"Slytherin-ish of me. Yeah." observed the Hufflepuff. "Like all Diggorys before me, I might belong to the house of the Badgers but my mother was still a Slytherin. Some of it might have rubbed off on me," shared Diggory.

"Okay," drawled Hermione, in a rather poor imitation of Draco Malfoy to which Diggory snorted. "I've noticed that your ex-girlfriend doesn't seem to understand the concept of breaking-up," said Hermione.

She was looking at a bookshelf full of older editions of her current textbooks. Having her back to Diggory, Hermione was able to hide the devious smile on her face. She was baiting him.

"Yeah and what can you do about that?" asked Diggory, his voice giving away his confusion.

'_Line, hook, and sinker_,' thought Hermione. She fought to keep the smirk on her face before turning back to the Head-boy. "Well, the solution to that situation will be me," announced Hermione, proudly.

"What will you being my girlfriend do to stop Cho from wanting us to get back together?" questioned Diggory.

"Well, the best way to make Chang understand that you're not interested in her again is to publicly show that you're interested in someone else. That someone else in this case will be me," replied Hermione.

"So, you really think that it would work?" considered Diggory.

"I do believe that it can work," answered Hermione, sincerely. "On the plus side, we don't have to worry about relationship issues between us because we'll know from the go that it's a bogus thing. You and I both get the peace of mind and we will be able to focus on other things during this school year. Like your Head-boy duties and your NEWTs coming up later and I'm not even thinking of what you'll be able to do with the Hufflepuff's Quidditch team. I'm not going to be jealous of Quidditch taking all your free time from me, 'your girlfriend'," she air-quoted.

"Okay, it all sounds good on paper," began Diggory, crossing his arms as he regarded her. "But what's in it for you, 'my girlfriend'?" he questioned, mimicking her air-quotes.

"I'll be able to study for my OWLs, concentrate on my prefect duties, find ways to undermine Umbridge's authority in Hogwarts—" Diggory raised an eyebrow at hearing this "—keep Harry's temper in check and I will not have to worry about Ron or and any other guys flirting with me," answered Hermione, in one breath.

"Erm, what do you mean when you say that you won't have to worry about other guys flirting with you," Diggory asked, as Hermione picked an old Charms tome from the bookshelf. "Do I have to worry about other guys making moves on you, Granger?"

"Oh, I mean… what I mean by what?" stalled the Gryffindor, pretending to be absorbed by the Charms book she had in hand. Hermione didn't know how to best answer Diggory's question.

"You won't find anything interesting in that book, Granger," began Diggory. When Hermione had looked at him, he continued, "it's an old edition and the Charms theories are out-dated. Anyway, you know what I _mean_ _by what_, Granger? So, don't go pretending otherwise."

"Thank you," said Hermione, shelving the Charms book again before turning back. "What I mean is that it's you, Diggory."

"Me?" he asked, confused. "That's a rather cryptic answer, Granger."

"You're Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Head-boy—" she started.

"I know full well who I am, thank you. But, I still fail to see how it would stop other guys from flirting with you if I was your boyfriend?"

"I could be telling you if you stopped interrupting me," she advised, barely stopping herself from snapping. When Diggory nodded, she continued, "—Quidditch captain, the first one to have beat Gryffindor in a decade." She raided a hand when she saw that Diggory was going to protest before she continued, "Beating our team fair and square. You're the Triwizard champion. So, all things considered, you're the best student wizard at Hogwarts right now and I'm not disregarding the fact that you're quite good-looking too."

Hermione was amused to see Diggory's cheeks redden up a bit at hearing that. "So, no right guy will think I'll go out with them when I'll be with a boyfriend like you."

"Okay," murmured Diggory, a tint of red still infusing his cheeks. "There's one more thing, Granger. How are we going to play this thing? People aren't going to believe that we are suddenly an item," he observed.

"Actually, I have the best idea for that," said Hermione, smirking.

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Hermione was staring at her full breakfast plate at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall the next morning. She was lost in her thoughts and very much considering back pedalling on her proposal to Diggory. Having had a good night sleep, she was actually agreeing that her solution was a little bit too radical and that she could find a simpler way.

Hermione didn't even hide her disgust at seeing the red head–sitting in front of her–pigging though his breakfast plate. Even if at times it was rather tenuous and tense, she really valued her friendship with Ronald Weasley. Thus, this was the reason why she wanted to discourage any move by the red head to push their relationship further away. If the hypothetical relationship didn't work out between her best friend and herself, things could eventually become awkward with Ron and by extension, with Harry. That was something that Hermione didn't want to happen.

"Oh, sorry Hermione," apologized Harry. The latter had knocked her glass of pumpkin juice as he'd been talking animatedly with Ron about Gryffindor's Quidditch team's chances for this year and he'd been using his hands too much.

"No problem, Harry," said Hermione, muttering a cleaning charm and waving her wand. "Now, pass me the jug of pumpkin juice, please."

"Here," replied Harry, passing the jug to her before continuing his animated conversation with Ron.

When Harry had passed the jug of juice to her, Hermione saw the crude letters on Harry's hand. The cruel punishment that Harry had suffered from that horrible Um-bitch—a Ron-ism—only fuelled her determination to do something about that horrible toad and her deplorable 'teaching' method. It was a personal satisfaction to her that a lot of her fellow Hogwarts comrades thought along the same lines and that they'd agreed to at least hear what Harry would have to say on that matter.

A shadow appeared on the table making Hermione and Harry turn around. Diggory was standing behind them. He was probably going to tell her to go to Hell. She'd discussed with Diggory how to tell her his answer and they'd agreed on something. If he wasn't going to do it which was what Hermione expected, he'll tell her that he can't agree to a change in her patrolling schedule. The best pretext for him coming to talk to her at the Gryffindor table would be about her prefect duties.

"Hi, Cedric," greeted Harry, enthusiastically.

Ron mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Diggory."

"Diggory, hello," greeted Hermione, in turn, before she turned back to the table.

"Hi, Harry," replied Diggory. "Weasley," he nodded at the red head. The latter was currently pilling more bacon and eggs on his plate and Ron waved a hand in acknowledgement of the Head-boy.

"Granger," he called, trying to get her attention. When Hermione turned back to look at him, he continued, "About your request for a change of schedule, I'm happy to say that it's approved. You'll be patrolling with me next week."

Hermione stared at him, incredulous of his answer. He'd actually agreed with her little scheming.

"Erm, it is what you wanted, right?" asked Diggory, wary of her lack of response.

"Yes, it is," answered Hermione, relieved. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. I look forward to working with you," said Diggory, grinning.

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**End note:**

It's horrifying when I realise that it's already more than a year since I've posted the first chapter and I am truly sorry about that.

Thank you for the great response that I've received since this story was posted.

**Thanks to all reviewers: **Loukritia, Meldz, SereniteRose, Galwidanatitud, Roro, RainbowJH, Amata0221, RoaringLion51, Mseclair, TheShiningStar, mUmaRhz, Suzululu4moe, Lena, Peachescherry14 and Ravensgirl52.

A belated Happy New Year everyone. I wish all the best for you in 2016.

Love and take care,

**Ludo13**


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